LAS CRUCES — New Mexico State players still don't know much about Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl opponent Utah State, but the excitement following finals about a bowl week has started to hit home.

"There are going to be a lot of distractions but we are good at getting the distractions out of the way and focusing on the main goal, which is winning the game," Aggies senior wide receiver Conner Cramer said. "Everything will be there for us to just play the game and just do what we do and hopefully get this win."

The Aggies returned to practice on Tuesday to begin preparations for a 6-6 Utah State football team, that, like NMSU, has also not managed a win over a .500 or better FBS team this season.

It is as even as any matchup on paper for the upcoming bowl season, which is the ultimate goal for any bowl game.

Aggies head coach Doug Martin said Tuesday the December 29 Arizona Bowl at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona, is just the start of the Aggies story moving forward, not the ending after ending a 57-year bowl game drought.

"I never had the opportunity to go to a bowl game so it's a new learning experience," NMSU defensive end Cedric Wilcots II said. "But it's just a small fraction of what we are trying to do. We are not satisfied with just going, but we are trying to win a bowl game."

Landing in the Arizona Bowl in the Aggies' final year in the Sun Belt Conference is a dream scenario for Martin's program due to Arizona turning into a recruiting focal point and Tucson's proximity to the Aggies' fanbase.

"We have several young men in this recruiting class from Arizona so that couldn't be any better," Martin said. "I really felt that in 2011 when I was an assistant coach here that if you ever turned the corner at this place, people would really jump on board. That was proven in our last home game when 27,000 people were at the stadium. It was unbelievable."

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New Mexico State quarterback Tyler Rogers and the Aggies returned to practice on Tuesday. NMSU plays Utah State in the Arizona Bowl on Dec. 29.
Quarterback Tyler Rogers.(Photo: Jaime Guzman for the Sun-News)

Senior quarterback Tyler Rogers is one of many Arizona natives on the NMSU roster and five of NMSU's 2019 recruiting class are from Arizona.

"What else could I ask for personally," Rogers said. "It's awesome to go and play in front of family and end my career as a college quarterback back home. It's a good way to go out and be able to accomplish what I came here to do as our last year as seniors and our last game."

Utah State finished fourth in scoring in the Mountain West Conference with 31 points per game and eighth in total offense with 394 yards per game. Utah State was fifth in scoring defense, allowing 27 points per game and seventh in total defense, allowing 401 yards per game.

"Utah State is a well coached football team and they are used to going to bowl games," Martin said. They are a model to what we aspire to be. We would like to be that consistent in our program. They have a tremendous defense and they are very blitz oriented."

Arizona Bowl representative visits Las Cruces

Arizona Bowl Executive Board member Kym Adair said Tuesday she expects a record attendance on December 29 in the third year of the bowl game.

"Ticket sales are generally doing well," Adair said. "We are way ahead of where we were last year and last year we had about 33,000 in the stadium. We anticipate at least a 10-15 percent growth on that year over year so we are really excited."

New Mexico State's fan base has certainly responded. As of end of business on Monday, NMSU has sold 5,694 tickets through its box office according to NMSU athletics director Mario Moccia. New Mexico State had an original ticket allotment from the Sun Belt Conference of 5,000 tickets, but has since added 3,000 tickets for sale by the Arizona Bowl.

"With 5,700 sold to date and well over two weeks until the game, the bowl has sold a ton through their box office from our fans as well," Moccia said. "I really think we have a great shot to have over 10,000 Aggies at the game in Tucson."

Moccia was among a group of NMSU officials who visited Tucson last week, including the team hotel (Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa) and Salpointe Catholic High School, where the Aggies will practice after departing Las Cruces on December 26.

"There was a rich history of bowl games in Tucson and then there was a long hiatus," Moccia said. "Nova Home Loans came and made the Arizona Bowl possible."

The Arizona Bowl donates 100 percent of net proceeds to local charities, Adair said. She added that there are opportunities for local Las Cruces area sponsors to raise money for local charities.

"If there is a New Mexico State Aggie, they can sponsor part of the bowl and they will be able to donate dollars right back into this community as well," Adair said.

Sports Editor Jason Groves can be reached at 575-541-5459 or jgroves@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on Twitter @jpgroves.